Navarro starts his tome by dissecting how China has undercut the rest of the world's economies by creating a quasi free-market system, based on unfair trade practices that form the "China Price." That price is an economic reality born of endless cheap labor, a lack of spending on health and safety nets for workers, currency manipulation, export subsidies, and the literal counterfeiting of everything from condoms and razor blades to car parts and baby food. "Business and labor (here) will have to fight, to tackle these practices head-on," Navarro said.

The threat China poses to the well-being of the Western world looms larger every day, according to author Peter Navarro.

China's pollution is hitchhiking the jet stream into American cities. Its cheap labor pool and subsidized industry are stealing manufacturing jobs away from the middle class in the U.S., and have done so for years. Its counterfeit products and pirated software rob American businesses of the fruits of their labor.

But, ironically, the biggest threat posed by China, is to itself.

Prof. Navarro, who teaches economics at the University of California, Irvine, is an expert on China. It's a place that's fascinated him since he served in the Peace Corps in Asia in the 1970s. He realized several years ago that, in purely economic terms, "all roads lead to China."

In a new book, The Coming China Wars: Where they will be fought, how they can be won (Prentice Hall, 248 pp.; $26) Navarro spells out the risks posed to America and the rest of the world from China's out-of-control economic and industrial growth.

He says he wrote The Coming China Wars as a "kick in the pants, a slap in the face. Every American needs to be aware of the threat China poses to their well-being," he opined.

Navarro starts his tome by dissecting how China has undercut the rest of the world's economies by creating a quasi free-market system, based on unfair trade practices that form the "China Price." That price is an economic reality born of endless cheap labor, a lack of spending on health and safety nets for workers, currency manipulation, export subsidies, and the literal counterfeiting of everything from condoms and razor blades to car parts and baby food.

"Business and labor (here) will have to fight, to tackle these practices head-on," Navarro said.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Much more disturbing than China's economic undercutting of the rest of the world is the scale at which the country is setting new standards in environmental destruction. Almost 500 coal-fired power plants will be built in China in the next eight years.

During that same time, about 100 million new cars will take to China's new highway system. Coupled with an already sizable volume of pollution from existing commercial and residential coal use, as well as the rampant desertification of its land (most of China is a desert, with dust storms that make Las Vegas' look puny in comparison), pollution from China in 10 years will be five times greater than that of all the nations that signed the Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions ... combined.

"These are critical times today. China is affecting everything we do," Navarro said. "There is little to nothing in China that puts a value on the environment."

Much of the Chinese population suffers from poverty, government oppression, lack of clean resources and a dearth of employment opportunities. Many of China's 1.4 billion people are still considered rural residents, where farming allows subsistence living but little more.

Chinese are routinely forced from their homes by developers, or by their own government in an effort to get people into the cities. Many of these people are never reimbursed for their loss.

Other factors in China that are taking a toll on its population include an explosive rate of HIV infection, rampant official corruption (the Chinese have a dozen phrases for various kinds of corruption) and little freedom of expression.

Without change, and soon, "China will implode," or worse, will engage in a head-to-head conflict with the West. And, if its environmental abuse continues, Navarro said, we all might end up "in a Hobbesian world where life is nasty, brutal and short."

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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Story Source: Las Vegas Business Press

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Thailand; Writing - Thailand; COS - China; Fair Trade

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